Communication system

ABSTRACT

Common channel resources can be controlled in the uplink of a communication system. The control of the common channel resources can be dependent upon the quality requirements associated with a radio access for use on the up-link common channel relative to a predetermined quality threshold.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.10/310,129, filed Dec. 5, 2002. The entire content of the priorapplication is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to establishing uplink connections in aradio telecommunications network.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

UTRA-FDD is an example of a third generation mobile communicationsystem, in which a communication network infrastructure establishescommunication with various mobile entities in a radio access network.

In the radio access network, communication takes place from the networkto user equipment (UE) in the downlink, and from the UE to the networkin the up-link.

For the purpose of communicating, there are provided two types oftransport channels—dedicated channels and common channels. A commonchannel is a resource divided between all or a group of users in a cell,whereas a dedicated channel is by definition reserved for a single user.

In a typical UTRA-FDD system, there are two common channels for theuplink communication: the random access channel (RACH) which is mappedto the physical random access channel; and the common packet channel(CPCH), which is mapped to the physical common packet channel.

In current techniques radio access bearers are allocated to the commonchannels in the UTRA-FDD system on the basis of resources determination,such as network capacity.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedtechnique for optimizing the use of common channels in the uplink of acommunication system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod of controlling common channel resources in the uplink of acommunication system, wherein the control of the common channelresources is dependent upon the quality requirements associated with aradio access for use on the up-link common channel relative to apredetermined quality threshold.

The control of common channel resources may comprise selectivelyallocating the common channel to the radio access. The common channelmay be selectively allocated to the radio access in dependence upon aquality threshold. The quality threshold may be uplink measured qualityinformation. A dedicated channel may be allocated to the radio access ifthe common channel is not allocated to the radio access. Saiddetermination may be based upon the quality characteristics required forthe radio access.

The control of common channel resources may comprise dynamicallycontrolling the power difference between an initialization transmissionin the common channel and a message in the common channel. The powerdifference may be initially set to a predetermined value.

The power difference may be set to a value determined on the basis ofthe power difference required for at least one previous radio accesshaving the same quality profile as the current radio access.

The power difference may be increased if the up-link measured quality isbelow a threshold value. The power difference may be decreased if theup-link measured quality is above a threshold value.

The common channel may be a random access channel. The common channelmay be a common packet channel.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda method of controlling common channel resources in the uplink of amobile communication system, wherein the control of the common channelresources is dependent upon the quality requirements of a radio accessfor use on the up-link common channel being within a predeterminedthreshold.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides an element forcontrolling common channel resources in the uplink of a communicationsystem, comprising means for controlling the common channel resources independence upon the quality requirements associated with a radio accessfor use on the up-link common channel relative to a predeterminedquality threshold.

The control means may be adapted to selectively allocate the commonchannel to the radio access. The control means may be adapted toselectively allocate the radio access in dependence upon a qualitythreshold. The quality threshold may be uplink measured qualityinformation.

A dedicated channel may be allocated to the radio access if the commonchannel is not allocated to the radio access. Said determination isbased upon the quality characteristics required for the radio access.

The control means may comprise means for dynamically controlling thepower difference between an initialization transmission in the commonchannel and a message in the common channel. The power difference may beinitially set to a predetermined value.

The power difference may be set to a value determined on the basis ofthe power difference required for at least one previous radio accesshaving the same quality profile as the current radio access. The powerdifference may be increased if the up-link measured quality is below athreshold value. The power difference may be decreased if the up-linkmeasured quality is above a threshold value.

The common channel may be a random access channel. The common channelmay be a common packet channel.

The present invention still further discloses a radio network controllerfor controlling common channel resources in the uplink of a mobilecommunication system, comprising control means for controlling thecommon channel resources in dependence upon the quality requirements ofa radio access for use on the up-link common channel being within apredetermined threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is now described by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a UMTS radio access network;

FIG. 2 illustrates the structure of a random access message part radioframe;

FIG. 3 illustrates the physical random access channel power ramping andmessage transmission; and

FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) illustrate a method incorporating embodiments of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated schematically an example of aUMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) with respect to whichembodiments of the present invention may be utilized.

In FIG. 1, the UMTS radio access network (RAN) 100 includes a pluralityof Node B's, such as node B's 106,108,110. Each Node B is connected to aradio network controller (RNC). Node B's 106 and 108 are connected to anRNC 102, and Node B 110 is connected to RNC 104. Various mobileterminals are in the radio access network, as represented by userequipment (UE) 112 connected to Node B 106. Each RNC is connected to acore network (CN) 114. The core network may further be connected toexternal networks, such as an ISDN network 116 or a Packet Data network118.

The present invention is described herein with reference to the exampleof a UTRA-FDD communication system. The invention is not limited,however, to such a system. The invention is more broadly applicable tothe allocation of channels in the up-link of a communication system,which will become apparent from the following description.

In UTRA-FDD two common transport channels have been specified: (i) theRandom Access Channel (RACH) and (ii) the Common Packet Channel (CPCH).

The RACH is mapped onto the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). Itcarries uplink common control information, i.e. Common Control Channel(CCCH), such as requests to set up radio resource control (RRC)connections. It may further carry dedicated control information, i.e.the Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), between the UE and the network,established through the RRC connection setup procedure. The RACH isfurther used for sending dedicated user information, i.e. the DedicatedTraffic Channel (DTCH), such as small amounts of uplink packet data.

The uplink CPCH carries dedicated packet-based user data (DTCH) ordedicated control information (DCCH). It supports uplink inner loopPower Control (PC), with the aid of a downlink Dedicated PhysicalControl Channel (DPCCH). Its transmission may span several radio framesand it is mapped onto the Physical Common Packet Channel (PCPCH).

Embodiments of the present invention are described hereinbelow withparticular reference to the random access channel. However this is forillustrative purposes only, and the present invention is not limited inits applicability to the RACH.

The slot structure of the PRACH message is illustrated in FIG. 2. Itconsists of two parts: a data part 200 where the RACH transport channelis mapped, and a control part 202 where the Layer 1 control informationis carried. The data 200 and control 202 parts are transmitted inparallel. The spreading factors of the data part are 256, 128, 64, and32. The control part consists of a set of pilot bits 204 and a set oftransport format combination indicator (TFCI) bits 206, and has aspreading factor of 256. The TFCI (Transport Format CombinationIndicator) field indicates the TF (Transport Format) of the RACH mappedto the data part of the radio frame and it is repeated in the secondradio frame if the message part lasts for 20 ms. The TF defines the bitrate, channel coding, TTI etc. These concepts are described in 3GPP TS25.302.

Each cell of the radio access network is configured by radio networkplanning (RNP). A cell is associated with a Node B. A “cell” is definedby a cell identification (C-ID), Configuration Generation ID, Timingdelay (T_Cell), UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (UARFCN),Maximum transmission power, Closed Loop Timing Adjustment Mode andPrimary scrambling code. For each cell, the RNP sets:

-   -   (i) the preamble scrambling code;    -   (ii) the message length in time (either 10 or 20 ms);    -   (iii) the AICH (acquisition indicator channel) transmission        timing parameter (0 or 1, for setting the        preamble-to-acquisition indicator distance);    -   (iv) the set of available signatures; and    -   (v) the set of available RACH sub-channels for each Access        Service Class (ASC).

Other essential parameters that need to be set by the RNP are:

-   -   (vi) the power-ramping factor (Power ramp step);    -   (vii) the maximum number of preamble retransmission (Preamble        Retrans Max);    -   (viii) the power offset between the power of the last        transmitted preamble and the control part of the PRACH message        (Power offset Pp-m=P_(message-control)−P_(preamble)); and    -   (ix) the set of transport format (TF) and transport format        combination (TFC) parameters (this includes the gain factors        between the data and control part of the random-access message        for each TFC).        Certain ones of these parameters may be automatically produced        by the radio network controller (RNC).

The user equipment (UE) receives these parameters from the systeminformation broadcast on the broadcast control channel (BCCH). The BCCHmay be updated by the RNC before any physical random access procedure isinitiated.

In summary, the physical random-access procedure is illustrated in FIG.3. The UE derives the available uplink access slots (in the next fullaccess slot set) from the set of available RACH sub-channels within thegiven ASC. It randomly selects one of the available access slots and asignature from the set of available signatures within the given ASC. Therandom function is such that each of the possible selections is chosenwith equal probability. In FIG. 3, the time line 304 represents uplinktransmission and the time line 306 represents downlink transmission.

The UE transmits the first preamble 302 using the selected uplink accessslot, signature, and preamble transmission power, calculated as:Preamble_Initial_Power=Primary CPICH DL Tx power−CPICH_RSCP+ULinterference+UL_required_CIThe Primary CPICH DL Tx power and the UL required Carrier toInterference ratio (a constant value in 3GPP) are set by the RNP. The ULinterference (receiver total wideband power in 3GPP) is measured at thebase station. All are broadcast on the BCCH. The same procedure isfollowed by the UE when setting up the power level of the first PCPCHaccess preamble. The CPICH RSCP is the Received Signal Code Power, i.e.the received power on one code measured on the Primary CPICH. This is aquantity that the UE measures, in accordance with known techniques.

If no positive or negative Acquisition Indicator (AI≠+1 or −1)corresponding to the selected signature is detected in the downlinkaccess slot 308 corresponding to the selected uplink access slot, thenthe terminal selects the next available access slot in the set ofavailable RACH sub-channels within the given ASC, randomly selects a newsignature from the set of available signatures within the given ASC, andincreases the preamble power by ΔP₀, which represents the power ramp indB. The second preamble transmission is represented by block 310 in FIG.3.

Responsive to the second preamble 310 in the uplink, the UE receives apositive acquisition indicator 312. Thereafter, the UE transmits therandom access message 314 three or four uplink access slots after theuplink access slot of the last transmitted preamble, depending on theAICH transmission timing parameter. The transmission power of thecontrol part of the random access message is Pp-m dB higher than thepower of the last transmitted preamble. The transmission power of thedata part of the random access message is set according to acorresponding gain factor, such gain factor being set between thecontrol and data parts.

The message part of the RACH is transmitted at a higher power level thanthe preamble part, due to their differing processing gains.

For the CPCH, there is a power offset between the transmit power of thecollision detect preamble and the initial transmit power of the CPCHpower control preamble.

If the number of retransmissions exceeds the maximum number ofretransmissions available (the Preamble Retrans Max value), or if anegative AI corresponding to the selected signature is detected, meaningthat the up-link transmission cannot be received for some reason, thenthe UE exits the physical random access procedure.

In accordance with the present invention, and as discussed in furtherdetail hereinbelow, the use of the random access channel, and the powercontrol of the random access channel, is further controlled independence on the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the differentUMTS bearer services that may be carried by the random access channel atthe radio interface. As stated hereinabove, embodiments of the presentinvention are described herein with reference to the RACH channel, butthe invention is not limited in its applicability to the RACH channel.

For different communications, the layer 2 block error rate (BLER) targetis derived from the UMTS QoS bearer profile. The retransmissionparameters, i.e. the number of RLC retransmissions allowed, are alsoderived from the UMTS bearer QoS profile. However none of theabove-stated physical layer management parameters, used for controllingthe power of the physical random access channel, have been defined onthe basis of the distinct quality requirements of the service. Thequality requirements may be set on the different logical channels mappedon the RACH.

As a result, the usage of these common resources may be ineffective. Forexample, when the RACH is employed in the uplink transmission, thequality of the communication may be set too low or too high, resultingin excessive power increases in most situations.

In accordance with the present invention, it is proposed to adapt theusage and power control of the random access channel in dependence onthe quality requirements of the service. As described hereinafter, thisis preferably achieved by the implementation of one of three describedembodiments.

However, alternative arrangements to the described embodiments mayachieve the same result.

Referring to FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), an example implementation of uplinkbearer service transmission incorporating three embodiments of thepresent invention is described. Although the embodiments are describedin combination, they may in fact operate individually.

In accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, beforeinitiation of the RACH transmission begins, the RNC derives the BLER(block error rate) target for the bearer services. In a step 404 of FIG.4(a), the RNC assesses the BLER target for the bearer services. The BLERdefines the ratio of the incorrectly received transport blocks to thetotal number of received transport blocks. The BLER target—whichpreferably also defines the value of Pp-m of the parameters (i)-(ix)—maybe directly set by RNP or indirectly calculated by the RNC from the UMTSQoS bearer profile, provided by the core network when the radio accessbearer is set up or reconfigured. The RNC keeps a track of the measuredBLER (i.e. Pp-m), and whether the measured BLER meets the BLER target,and whether the BLER target meets the RACH requirements.

In accordance with this first embodiment of the invention, in a step 406of FIG. 4(a) the uplink transport channel is selected based on the BLERtarget. In step 406, the RNC determines whether the BLER target iswithin the predetermined BLER targets for the RACH. For example, thismay be determined by the maximum number of RLC retransmissions allowedin the RACH. The definition of a target BLER will be understood by oneskilled in the art. The significance of the use of the BLER in thepreferred embodiments of the invention, is that the higher the BLERtarget the less transmission power is needed.

If the BLER target is not within the RACH requirements, then in a step407 the bearer services are allocated to another channel. If the BLERtarget is within the RACH requirements, then the RACH channel controlmoves onto a step 408.

Thus, the UE may be allocated a dedicated channel when the target BLERand RLC re-transmission setting can be defined more specifically than onthe RACH (or CPCH). There are thus two parameters which are significant,in the embodiments of the invention, for determining use of the RACH.These are the BLER target and the number of RLC retransmissions . Thehigher the numbers of RLC retransmission, and the lower the BLER target,the greater the interference and the RACH blocking. If a radio accessbearer has a very strict QoS requirement then it can be allocated adedicated channel immediately.

In accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention,further before initiation of the RACH transmission begins, the RNCassesses the uplink measured quality on the RACH. In a step 408, the RNCdetermines the uplink measured quality information for the RACH,measured at the network side.

In step 410 of FIG. 4(a), the RNC then determines whether the quality ofthe RACH in the up-link is within a threshold value. The threshold valuemay be predetermined. If it is determined that the quality is outsidethe threshold, then in a step 411 of FIG. 4(a) the bearer services areallocated to a different channel. If it is determined that the qualityis within the threshold value, then the process proceeds to step 412.

The allocation of the RACH channel for bearer services is represented bystep 419 in FIG. 4(a).

Thereafter, as illustrated by step 402 of FIG. 4(b), in accordance withstandard techniques, the UE receives from the network the RNP parametersfor the bearer services intended to be transmitted in the uplink randomaccess channel. These parameters include the parameters stated in (i) to(ix) above. In the prior art, these parameters are used in order toinitiates a RACH transmission for the bearer services.

Step 412 of FIG. 4(b) represents the initialisation of the RACH in theUE in accordance with conventional techniques. Referring to FIG. 3, theUE determines the power level for the first preamble, based on theparameters received in step 402 and in accordance with the formulastated hereinabove, and transmits the first preamble in the RACH asrepresented by block 302 in FIG. 3.

In a step 414 of FIG. 4(b), it is determined whether the first pre-ambleis acknowledged. If it is not acknowledged, then in a step 416 of FIG.4(b) it is determined whether the maximum number of retransmissionspermissible has been exceeded. This parameter is provided by the RNP. Ifthe maximum number of retransmissions is exceeded, then the routineexits. If the maximum number of retransmissions is not exceeded, thenthe process returns to step 412 for transmission of a second preamble.

For the second preamble, and as discussed hereinabove, the power levelof the preamble is increased by ΔPo. The transmission of the secondpreamble is represented by block 310 in FIG. 3.

Again, in step 414, it is determined whether an acknowledgement isreceived. In practice, two types of acknowledgement may be received: anegative acknowledgement or a positive acknowledgement. A negativeacknowledgement indicates that the message cannot be transmitted, as isknown in the art. In the present example, it is assumed that thepositive acknowledgement 312 of FIG. 3 is received in the downlink. Assuch, the process moves on to step 418 of FIG. (b).

In step 418 the message (318 in FIG. 3) is transmitted using theincreased power level, over the last preamble, Pp-m.

In accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the RNC monitors the uplink measured quality information in astep 420 of FIG. 4(a) after RACH transmissions have taken place. In thisembodiment, for each bearer service there is preferably set a thresholdlevel for the uplink quality, i.e. an uplink quality target. The RNCthen compares, in a step 422 of FIG. 4(b), the uplink measured qualityto the threshold level for that bearer service. If the uplink measuredquality deteriates or improves, then a corresponding change in the valuePp-m is made, and communicated to the UE, before the next physicalrandom access procedure for that bearer service is initiated.

Thus, in dependence on the comparison of the quality with the thresholdlevel, the process moves on to one of steps 424, 426 or 428 of FIG.4(b). If the quality level is within the current threshold value, thenin a step 426 the power level is maintained. If the quality deteriatesbelow an acceptable threshold level, then in a step 428 the power levelis increased. If the quality improves above an acceptable thresholdlevel, then in a step 424 the power level is decreased. The RNCcommunicates the adjusted power level to the UE, for use in uplinktransmission.

Thus, if it appears that the measured BLER is below the BLER target thentoo high power is being used in the PRACH, and the value of Pp-m isdecreased by a step. If it appears that the BLER is over the BLER targetthen too low power is being used in the PRACH, and the value of Pp-m isincreased by a step. The new Pp-m value is included in the systeminformation that is broadcast in the cell. In further refinedembodiments, both the threshold determination in step 410 and thethreshold determination in step 422 may be based on the BLERmeasurements. The uplink quality, and in particular the BLER, can be canbe measured for each bearer service carried by the RACH considering itsin-band identification and the information reported to the RNC by theNode B, i.e. NBAP C: Averaged number of successfully decoded RACHmessages per radio frame during the reporting period per PRACH.

The invention thus allows for, in a described embodiment, the efficientusage of the random access channel for carrying UMTS bearer serviceswith different quality requirements (i.e. different QoS profiles). Theinvention avoids any unnecessary uplink power rise due to the verydifferent quality requirements of the bearer services carried by theRACH at the radio interface.

In particular, the invention allows the RACH to be used for bearerservices with QoS attributes for which a particular BLER target with aparticular number of RLC retransmissions is sufficient. Other bearerservices with more strict QoS requirements are allocated to alternativeresources, e.g. dedicated resources.

The present invention enables the power levels for different radioaccess bearers in the RACH to be adjusted. Without the presentinvention, the power level for all radio access bearers in the RACH isthe same, and the number of RLC retransmissions needed will varyaccording to the QOS parameters.

The invention takes into account the fact that the PRACH parameters forall radio access bearers are the same, but different RAB's may havedifferent quality requirements.

Based on statistics, the RNC learns what Pp-m can be used when a radiobearer with certain QoS profile (BLER target) is set up. Thisstatistical value improves the convergence of this outer loop PC.

The invention has particular advantages for use in Third Generation (3G)UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) Terrestrial RadioAccess (UTRA-FDD) mobile telecommunications networks, and is thereforedescribed herein with reference to such an implementation. However, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention maybe applied to other protocols and standards.

1. A method, comprising: controlling common channel resources in theuplink of a communication system; and making control of the commonchannel resources dependent upon quality requirements associated with aradio access for use on an up-link common channel relative to apredetermined quality threshold.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thecontrolling the common channel resources comprises selectivelyallocating the common channel to the radio access.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the selectively allocating the common channel to theradio access is performed in dependence upon a quality threshold.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising: configuring the quality thresholdto be uplink measured quality information.
 5. The method of claim 3,further comprising: allocating a dedicated channel to the radio accesswhen the common channel is not allocated to the radio access.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising: determining whether to allocatethe dedicated channel based upon the quality characteristics requiredfor the radio access.
 7. A method, comprising: controlling commonchannel resources in the uplink of a mobile communication system; andmaking control of the common channel resources dependent upon qualityrequirements of a radio access for use on an up-link common channelbeing within a predetermined threshold.
 8. An element, comprising: acontroller configured to control common channel resources in an uplinkof a communication system, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the common channel resources in dependence upon qualityrequirements associated with a radio access for use on an up-link commonchannel relative to a predetermined quality threshold.
 9. The element ofclaim 8, wherein the controller is configured to selectively allocatethe common channel to the radio access.
 10. The element of claim 9,wherein the controller is configured to selectively allocate the radioaccess in dependence upon a quality threshold.
 11. The element of claim10, wherein the quality threshold is uplink measured qualityinformation.
 12. The element of claim 10, wherein a dedicated channel isallocated to the radio access when the common channel is not allocatedto the radio access.
 13. The element of claim 12, wherein the controlleris configured to determine whether to allocate a dedicate channel to theradio access based upon the quality characteristics required for theradio access.
 14. The element of claim 10, wherein the common channel isa random access channel.
 15. The element of claim 10, wherein the commonchannel is a common packet channel.
 16. A radio network controller,comprising: a control unit configured to control common channelresources in an uplink of a mobile communication system, wherein thecontrol unit is configured to control the common channel resources independence upon quality requirements of a radio access for use on anup-link common channel being within a predetermined threshold.